Chapter 32 Chapter 3 Everything Is Empty-6

Siddhartha knew full well that in this relative world, you could make a cup of oolong tea—he would not say that there is no tea, or that tea is emptiness.If he had anything to say, he would have reminded us that tea is not what it appears to be; tea, for example, is leaves that have dried up in hot water.However, some tea fanatics have become so obsessed with the tea leaves that they have prepared special blends, creating similar names like "Tieguanyin", and selling them for as much as 1,000 yuan per cup.For these people, it's not just leaves in the water.This is why, 1,500 years after Siddhartha taught, a Dharma successor named Tilopa told his student Naropa, it is not the appearance (outer appearance) that traps you, but your perception of The attachment to appearing (forms) traps you.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful nun named Upala.There was a man who loved her deeply and followed her everywhere.His pursuit made her very uncomfortable, and she wanted to avoid it, but the man persisted.Finally one day, she walked up to this man and faced him, he was startled.He stammered that he loved her eyes.Without hesitation, she plucked out her eyes and gave them to him.Frightened, he learned how easily we can get caught up and lost in the reconciled part.When he recovered from his shock and fear, he became her disciple. In another Japanese Buddhist legend, two Zen monks are preparing to cross a river.A young woman asks them to carry her across the rapids.The two monks had received strict commandments not to touch the opposite sex, but the elder one carried her into the water without hesitation.After reaching the other shore, he put the woman down and left without talking.Several hours later, the young monk couldn't help asking, aren't we monks?Why did you carry that woman across the river?The elder monk replied, I have already put her down, why are you still carrying her?

In a brief moment of clarity, we may be able to understand the emptiness of abstract concepts such as beauty and ugliness, which are inherently different.But for non-abstract things like a car that needs fixing, a bill to pay, high blood pressure that threatens our health, a family member who supports us and needs our support, etc., it is difficult to understand their emptiness.Our unwillingness or inability to see these as illusions is absolutely understandable.But when you're obsessed with luxury like top fashion, fine dining, celebrity status, elite club membership, it's pretty ridiculous.Many people indulge themselves with televisions in every room, or consider having two hundred pairs of shoes a necessity.In a bright clothing store, the desire to buy a pair of Nike sneakers or a Giorgio Armani suit is an instinct that far exceeds the need for vitamins.There were even fights over handbags at the store.The amalgamation of packaging and market research is so calculated that we become label-hunting fools, accepting ridiculous price tags that have nothing to do with material value.Even from a political point of view, we have completely forgotten about child labor.Since most people think these things are valuable, it is difficult for someone who pays attention to the image and loves Louis Vuitton to understand that the obsession with this leather handbag is irrational, let alone understand. The handbag itself has no personality.The importance of bourgeois identities and labels has become more solid in our minds and made our world less real due to the constant reinforcement of mass culture.

In addition to being manipulated by scavengers and market geniuses, we are ruled by political systems like democracy and communism, abstractions like "individual rights," and morals like "the right to live," "anti-abortion," or the "right to die." Stand pushed and pulled.The political world is full of such labels, and the chances of a true leader emerging are slim.Humanity has had various leaders, each with their own strengths, yet people still suffer.There may be some good politicians out there, but in order to win elections, they have to label themselves as pro-gay human rights or anti-gay human rights, even if they don't feel strongly about those issues.We often find ourselves involuntarily agreeing with the majority in order to get along in this so-called democratic world.

Long ago, in a severely drought-stricken country, a well-respected soothsayer predicted that it would finally rain in seven days.His prophecy came true, and everyone was very happy.He predicted that there would be a rain of treasures, and the prediction came true again.Everyone is happier and richer.His next prophecy said it would rain again in seven days, a cursed rain, and anyone who drank from it would go mad.So the king ordered that a large quantity of clean water should be stored so as not to drink from the cursed rain.But his people had no means of storing water.When it rained, people drank water and went crazy.The king alone is "normal", but he can't govern a mad subject.In desperation, he finally had to drink the cursed water too.In order to rule over them, he must share their delusion.

Like the Miss Universe pageant, everything we do and think in this world is based on a very limited common logic system.We place a lot of emphasis on consensus.If a majority of people agree that something is true, it usually becomes valid.When we look at a small pond, we humans think it's just a pond, but to the fish in the pond, it's their universe.If we take a democratic stance, the people in the water must win, since they outnumber us pond-watchers by far.The majority is by no means always right.A bad blockbuster can make a ton of money, while a great independent film is watched by only a few.And because we rely on groupthink, the world is often governed by the most short-sighted and corrupt rulers; democracies simply appeal to the least common denominator.